Greenwich Foot Tunnel East London

Greenwich Foot Tunnel, Greenwich, London

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel runs under the River Thames in East London, from Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets north of the river to Greenwich, south of the Thames. The Greenwich entrance is close to the restored Cutty Sark tea clipper.

The entrance on the Greenwich side

History

The tunnel opened in 1902 and was designed by architect Sir Alexander Binnie. The purpose of the 370 meter-long, cast-iron tunnel, 15 meters under the River Thames, was to replace the existing ferry to facilitate the crossing of dockworkers from south to north London.

Entrance to the Foot Tunnel in Greenwich

The sides of the historic tunnel are glazed with white tiles and it narrows in a section near the northern side due to damage sustained in World War II.

Nowadays the docks are long gone and the tunnel is mostly used by workers, to and from Canary Wharf and tourists.

Cutty Sark seen from the Thames at Greenwich

The Cutty Sark as seen from the Thames at Greenwich

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel is open 24 hours. Cyclists must dismount while travelling through the tunnel.

Access – Getting There

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel is close to the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market, the National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, the Old Royal Naval College, and the Royal Observatory.

Take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Cutty Sark Station or train from London Bridge to Greenwich Station (8 minutes). There are regular 188 buses to Greenwich from Euston Station. Buses 177, 180, 199, 286, and 386 all go to Greenwich.

Alternatively, take a riverboat from Westminster Pier opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (1 hour).

There is another foot tunnel under the Thames at Woolwich to the east linking Woolwich with North Woolwich in Newham, close to London City Airport.